BLW support thread anyone?

Just wondered if anyone wanted to join me on our BLW adventure, I could do with it (see my earlier thread)! We went to my uncles today, luckily my cousin did BLW with her two little ones so they were very accommodating and he tried carrot, sprout, broccoli, turkey and potato! It was very successful and it was lovely having my cousin to talk to! Unfortunately she doesn't live near us, but is at the end of the phone! What did your babies eat today?

I'm in! Not actually starting for another three weeks though, but will be very useful to hear what others are doing up until then too.

It does feel like I'm holding off against the world right now -all my NCT friends have started (with baby rice and purees), and they probably think I'm a bit strange. Was at MILs last week and she wanted to give DS a spoon dipped in jam 'just to give him the flavour' but I said no -I did feel a bit precious, but luckily she is lovely and didn't push it (but probably thinks I'm a weirdo).Anyway, DH and I have decided to hold off until the 6 month mark, and so we're sticking with it. I'm really excited about starting though!

DD is nearly 23 weeks and we too are fighting off all the 'baby-rice' comments and waiting until 26 weeks to start weaning.

I can't wait to start and had great fun trying out the high chairs in Mothercare last weekend.

I'm getting married on Saturday (eek) and am holding off until we are home from honeymoon and DD will be just over 6 months.

I've had lots of looks too when discussing BLW and have decided not to mention weaning at all to the in -laws, because I'm fed up of being told I'm doing it all wrong. (I'm actually making a point of never giving DD baby rice. Not because I think it's 'bad', but to piss off MIL )

Can I join? I'm doing a mixture of mashed/blended foods with finger foods & letting dd feed herself when she wants to.

Today I gave her a stalk of watercress, which she loved (strange child!), some mushroom (not too sure about that) & a stick of roast parsnip (she loves loves loves roast parsnip - I roast them with cumin & fennel seeds). She also had some veg & lentil soup for lunch & risotto for tea - both times she was feeding herself by scooping out handfuls & shoving them in her mouth!

Oh thank god! I am stressed about weaning. DS is almost 8 months and we started on pureed food until he decided pureed food is evil and spoons are the work of the devil. So I have had to go BLW. today he had some parsnip, pear, and a dairy lea triangle for lunch (a nibble of each). For tea I made him some broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and potato. I also prepared some melon. He had one suck on the broccoli then screamed. His appetite just seems to be rubbish. I am also a nervous BLW as I worry about choking but I just have to do it.

batteryhen - I was a little worried about choking too. However, after getting stuff stuck in her throat a couple of times DD has just vomited till it came out! Bit annoying when she'd managed quarter of pear and same of nectarine but good to know that she can sort herself out

My DD has just enjoyed macaroni cheese (sucked the sauce off the pasta and ate a little pasta) with broccoli in it. Broccoli went down very well

We had pizza toasties for lunch today - so yummy! Used two slices white bread, 2 full fat baby bells, Passata and spinach sandwiched together and then grilled in the George Foreman for little man (I'm doing weight watchers so used baby bell light and sandwich thins for mine!). He enjoyed it too

<cries at not being remembered for being the one to recommend a 'BLW support thread' to sleepybunny, who in turn said she'd start one>

<gets over it>

I'm a BLW'er but dd is now 20 months, so past the weaning stage but I was on the other threads that MrsNPattz and Sleepybunny were on, offering some experience and advice. I love BLW and very much feel happy with the decision we made to go down the lazy BLW route to feeding.

For those worried about gagging / choking. I highly recommend you checking out your local Surestart Centre and finding out if there is a first aid course to go on. They cover what to do and how to react if the baby is choking. Failing that, go on to youtube and search gagging so you can see the difference. BLW.com is a good link that looks at gagging vs choking, as is NHS pages which details what to do if baby does choke.

Definitely recommend you purchasing the BLW book by Gill Rapely as you can use the info and evidence when annoying family members insist you should be spoon feeding.

Purchases which will help but will not be the end of the world if you haven't got them: - long sleeved bibs, from poundland / B&M or strip baby down naked- splash mat, Early Learning Centre, or shower curtain from poundland- decent cutlery such as a small metal fork and spoon, put it on tray, they'll work it out if you are eating with them- free flowing sippy cup for water with meal

I'm doing it... With twins! The mess is unreal but they love it! I started them on puréed foods but they both started rejecting the spoon. My family think I'm mad but hey, at least they are eating (and I'm not picking Weetabix out of my hair...)

Aw Fadbook I'm sorry, I just remembered SleepyBunny was going to start one, but I should have read back thanks for the idea, it sounds like you have a lot of experience and some great advice - thank you

It certainly is messy!! Even more so with twins but twice the fun hey!

I recommend the Tiny Diner roll up place mat for when you are out and about somewhere that has those wooden cafe highchairs and no tray.Makes eating out so much easier! Definitely read the official BLW book too. Ikea long sleeved bibs are the biz and so is the Antilop highchair.BLW is great but you don't have to be a purist about it. sometimes it is just a bit easier to give yoghurt on a spoon and avoid it being smeared all over someone else's dining room!

DS is just over 7 months so been weaning for about 5 weeks now. He's still not eating great amounts and am only getting 2 meals a day into him at the mo. Varies quite a bit - some days he seems to chomp happily on lots of things, other days he just drops it on the floor.

Started out with giving him bits of steamed carrot, broccoli etc to gum, plus some of those Organix carrot stix/sweetcorn snacks - mainly because they pretty much dissolve, and was feeling a bit panicked about him choking on stuff. I did a baby first aid course, and feel a bit better now plus he got the hang of having stuff in his mouth fairly quickly. He still makes terrible faces and gagging sounds occasionally but now I know he can sort it out himself. He's come on a huge amount in the last month in terms of being able to hold and manipulate food (still seems to forget that last little bit clenched in his fist exists though) and move it around in his mouth.

Yesterday he had bits of apple, banana (not a fan), tangerine, some sweetcorn snacks, some porridge (with mashed banana in it), and later on some strawberry and banana yogurt. I've only just started giving him mushy stuff that needs a spoon - I dip the spoon into it and then hand it to him. He really liked the yogurt.

We're only on 2 meals a day, breakfast and dinner (mainly coz I'm terrible for not eating lunch and we're always out it seems) which I kind of feel bad about.

Tonight is guacamole without the chilli for LO with pitta bread.

I am struggling for inspiration on what to make. I'm a shocking cook with a fairly high needs baby and a previous eating disorder which I'm determined not to pass on so I find meal planning really tricky.

Any ideas on easy, healthy meals (I'm also veggie although DD won't be, she'll have meat with her dad when he's around for dinners)

BLW cookbook is good for ideas. I like the giant pasta shells you can get filled with spinach and ricotta and baked with some tomato sauce around them and mozzarella on top. The shells are easy for them to pick up. Other pasta shape that works well is fusilli although it took my LO till about 9 months to really be bothered about eating much of it. Philadelpia is useful for quick and easy pasta sauce jobs.Omelette is an easy peasy baby lunch - a one egg omelette cooked with unsalted butter and cut up into strips is super quick and easy to eat. serve with some veg or salad stuff (tomato wedges and cucumber sticks)Risotto is fun but very very messy -recommended for bath night only.Baked potatoes are quick at lunchtime - I cook a small potato in the microwave and cut it up into quarters. If I can be bothered I scoop out the potato before cutting it up and mash up the inside with some cheese and then put it back in again.

Can I join? Started today. Gave DD steamed carrot and butternut squash sticks. She squished them, pulled the most cute faces, threw them on the floor but didn't even try to put them in her mouth! Absolutely everything goes in that little mouth so I was really surprised. So this should be, dog tried and enjoyed carrot and butternut squash today! What do you think - should I just do the same tomorrow??